Chapter 123 – Word Play, Hand Play
“Miura? What happened today Why do you think it’s low pressure?”
Tetsuya, who was mechanically swinging his bamboo sword, was taken aback by Lenka’s extremely kind voice.
All day today, I’ve been on a whirlwind thinking about what happened this morning, but if I keep doing that, only your mentality will explode.
It’s none of my business.
“There was nothing special…”
“Good luck then. After the fight, your posture is breaking down, so focus on catching it.”
“Yes, manager.”
“Always work hard. Because I’m rooting for you.”
“Thank you…!”
As he started practicing again, Tetsuya’s expression slightly returned.
He seems to have gained strength from Lenka’s encouragement, but… He’s so ugly.
With a small snort, I silently folded a dry towel,
“Matsuda.”
Hearing Lenka’s call through the clatter of the shinai, she turned her head.
“Come here.”
Lenka beckons to me from the corner of the room.
I asked after folding her towel and approaching her.
“Why?”
“Are you free on Saturday? I’m trying to write a wish.”
By all means, is it Saturday?
I had to spend a hot time with Miyuki the day before and take a rest…
If I say I’m in trouble here, it will look like I’m backing away, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
“It’s possible.”
“Aren’t you asking what your wish is?”
“I’ll be sure to tell you well.”
“…. Great. I’ll put the time and location on Friday, so come over there the next day. Don’t worry, we’ll pay for the gas, of course.”
It seemed distant, judging from the mention of gas prices.
Or it could be that he doesn’t want to owe me even the slightest debt, so he’s just giving it to me even though it’s a short distance.
“All right.”
“The clothes should be sportswear or anything that is comfortable to be active in.”
Is it a mindset that will make you farm?
They make you do heavy labor to take out your soul… You don’t have such an old idea, do you?
I wonder if I would use the precious Wish Ticket in a place like that, but…
Now that there is a distance in my relationship, it is not impossible because there is no particular wish to write, and the expiration date is one month, so I have to write it quickly.
“Yes. Are you finished talking?”
“…. It’s over.”
“Then do you want to go to work?”
“Okay.”
As I was taking care of the rest of the work, I saw the door to the stale room open and a man in his 60s or 70s entered.
He looked at the members of her training in sweat and was dumbfounded. When Lenka, who had a bewildered look on her face, approached, she talked about something, and together they went into her supervisor’s office.
And shortly after,
Rattle.
“Matsuda!”
The door to the director’s office opened vigorously, and a blast furnace came out and found me.
**
A man staring at me with warm eyes, and Lenka, who was at a loss because he was in front of him, and stood in a resting posture.
As I looked around the three people in the supervisor’s office, I somehow got a sense of what was going on.
‘It’s because of what happened yesterday.’
The woman involved in the contact accident recognized her uniform and studied her name tag, and she clearly had something to do with it.
“He is the principal. Say hello.”
Unlike when he calls me, he introduces the man in a gentle tone.
She was not the principal’s daughter, but the vice-principal’s daughter.
What if it’s someone’s daughter? It was enough for her to look young and pretty for her age.
“Hello. This is Ken Matsuda. Have I ever had an accident?”
As she bowed her head and pretended not to know anything, the vice-principal with a lush white beard burst out laughing.
“No, it’s not like that. Didn’t you have a car accident yesterday in the alley leading to Nerima Ward?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Because the person responsible for the accident was my daughter. She came to say thank you.”
Too bad.
I’d rather come to the classroom during class or break time, to say thank you from the kendo club.
But, well… It’s good to pile up such good stories in front of anyone, so let’s move on.
“Ah… Is the person I met yesterday your daughter?”
“Okay. When I came back, a student from our academy named Ken Matsuda said he was kind enough to let me go, and he liked itheheard the name and said it was the Matsuda Ken I knew or Gingamin, but I was surprised that it was true.”
As someone who is involved in school affairs, it is impossible not to have heard my rumors.
I said, scratching my head as if I was embarrassed.
“I’m famous for being a bit of a bad person.”
“It used to be like that. Not now.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“It was nice to see the way you are doing the gaegwacheonseon. By the way… Can you tell me why I took money from my daughter yesterday?”
She doesn’t seem to be trying to hold on to the book, saying that she received money that she didn’t have to, and she seems to want to check what I was thinking at the time.
“If I just skip it, I’ll be complacent, and that kind of accident could happen again. I thought so at the time.”
“Excellent.”
“It’s an overstatement.”
“Is the car okay? If the repair costs a lot, I will fix it.”
“No. No problem at all.”
After talking a few more words, the assistant principal thanked me one last time and left the director’s office.
Goro, whose lips had been twitching until then, hit me hard on the shoulder.
“Good work, Matsuda. You did a very good job.”
“This happens by chance.”
“That’s right. It’s a very auspicious incident for our kendo club. Maybe the budget will increase a little next year.”
If you look at the image of sympathy, it seems like you are distinguishing between public and private life, but are you really going to do that?
I wish they would have given me a personal reward… Like my daughter’s body…
“Then, next year’s training camp, shall we go to the hot springs?”
“I’ll consider it if you stay until next year.”
After exchanging simple jokes with me, Goro went outside, saying he would watch his squad members train.
Lenka, who had been looking at me quietly and unexpectedly with her eyes until then, said.
“Amazing.”
“What?”
“Nope. Well done.”
“It’s a compliment from the manager… It doesn’t feel very good or bad, right?”
“… Even if you compliment me…”
“It’s a joke.”
“Haa… I’m crazy… Let’s go.”
After saying that in a self-deprecating tone, Lenka opened the door to her director’s office.
Did Lenka’s evaluation of me go up a little bit?
I guess I’ll forget everything when I’m teaching, but it’s not a bad thing if you think that good reviews offset bad ones.
**
“It’s finally tomorrow.”
Chinami strengthens her fighting spirit like a soldier going to a battlefield.
I roughly brushed off the shirt I had changed into and nodded.
“Yes. It’s tomorrow. But why are you nervous?”
“Uh huh…! It’s not tension, it’s anticipation. Hanazawa-kouhai-sama must be looking forward to tomorrow too, right?”
“Of course I will.”
“Whoops… Okay. Tomorrow I’ll make sure to buy ice cream.”
“I don’t think you need to do that, but…”
“It’s a monumental day to meet a junior who will become a new relationship, but you can’t get it by becoming a senior. You know that.”
I try to show a dignified side, but do you know that the more you do, the more dainty you look?
I said with a soft smile.
“All right.”
“Chinami! Come fast!”
Lenka’s voice came through during a friendly conversation.
Chinami turned her head and answered in a loud voice.
“Yes! I’ll go! Then… Junior, see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. Please go in carefully.”
Shaking her hand cheerfully, she soon began to walk away from me.
Seeing her approaching Lenka, even humming, makes her want to bite her.
Looking at Chinami’s back, I was smiling with a happy father’s smile.
“Matsuda. Let’s go.”
Hearing the annoying tone of one of the intruders, he turned around.
“Did you leave anything behind?”
“No. Are you picking up your car today?”
“Uh.”
“Wouldn’t it cost a lot if the rear bumper was out?”
“It didn’t sound like much.”
“I’m glad. I worried.”
Worrying about it… I’m about to recharge my disgust when I see you pretending.
On the way to the main gate while having a brief talk with Tetsuya,
“I think Nanase-senpai mentioned Miyuki earlier… Is that right?”
Tetsuya, who was walking while staring at the ground, got to the point.
I replied, yawning while clapping my hands and placing them on the back of my head.
“Ah… That? Right.”
“What were you talking about?”
“Speaking of ice cream. I was supposed to eat it tomorrow.”
“Ice cream? Do you two eat ice cream?”
“Three of us including me.”
At those words, Tetsuya’s mouth fell shut for a moment.
I can’t tell if I’m annoyed or jealous…
It’s because they’re both, so that kind of ugly expression appears, right?
“… Did Miyuki agree?”
“Of course I did.”
“Didn’t you force me to go?”
What delusion is this?
“What is coercion? Isn’t Miyuki the kind of girl who will go obediently just because I asked to go?”
“Well… That’s true too. I don’t know if you used Miyuki’s weakness as an excuse to threaten or something… Ah, you know this is a joke, right? Don’t feel bad.”
The moment I heard those words, I stopped her and looked straight down at Tetsuya.
Then he lightly hit him on the cheek, just enough to feel a tingling sensation.
Took.
“100 million!?”
Tetsuya let out a short scream and put his hand to his cheek.
I don’t know if I didn’t know that it would fit me, but my eyeballs are twice as big, and I’m quite surprised.
“Hey, did you turn?”
“Wh-what…?”
“Should I just let it go if I scratch people’s insides and say it’s a joke? You should be joking around. Isn’t what you’re doing just a provocation?”
“I didn’t mean to say that…”
I didn’t mean to do that… It was a very sincere statement.
You really show the end of ugliness. Awesome.
Should I praise you for having the courage to climb up?
“I used to think you were a deep insider, but why do you keep crossing the line lately?”
Tok, tok.
After hitting Tetsuya’s cheek a couple more times, which was covered by his hand, he stepped back and panicked.
When I followed him and shoved his shoulder and tried to shoot him again and again,
“Matsuda-kun! What are you doing right now!?”
Miyuki’s loud voice came from far away.
When I turned around in the direction from which the sound had come, I saw Miyuki running towards me in shock.
